30 years ago, a migrant’s body washed up on the coasts of Andalusia in southern Spain for the first time. Now, its popular beaches are regularly the scene of death and drama. So far this year, close to 53,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean to Spain, with nearly 700 losing their lives. And that figure continues to rise as the arrival of seasonal bad weather fail to deter those desperate to reach Europe.

Samantha Sacramento, the Gibraltar housing minister, speaks on the issue of Gibraltar’s sovereignty in the Brexit negotiations at a conference of the Democratic Unionist Party, the Northern Irish party whose support is vital to Prime Minister Theresa May’s government and Brexit plans.

Spanish people crossing the border between Spain and Gibraltar every day to work on the British side fear their jobs will be threatened if relations between the two countries become more complicated. The question of Gibraltar is not mentioned in the draft Brexit agreement, which outlines the relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union after the divorce.

Videographic looking at Gibraltar. Spain’s prime minister has warned that Madrid would vote against the Brexit deal agreed between London and Brussels if it does not guarantee Madrid’s veto over Gibraltar’s future status.VIDEOGRAPHIC

Gibraltar has close to full employment and it has long been a lifeline for people who live in the adjacent area of Spain known as “El Campo de Gibraltar”, which has one of the European Union’s highest jobless rates. But when Brexit comes, it could mean tighter controls at what would be a new border between Britain and the European Union which could jeopardise the easy flow of people that has benefited both Gibraltar and “El Campo”.

On the island of Gibraltar, a tiny British territory connected to Spain, cross-border workers are concerned by a possibility of a no-deal Brexit as the ability to cross with ease is essential to their livelihood.

As the UK officially starts the process of leaving the European Union, there’s yet another problem London faces in its negotiations with Brussels – the future of the UK territory of Gibraltar.
That’s after the EU offered Spain veto power over whether any deal applies to the peninsula.
READ MORE: https://on.rt.com/87o4
RT LIVE http://rt.com/on-air